WWE returns to Oshawa
Match results predictable, but still a good time
In the main event, wrestler Dean Ambrose gets put through a table by opponent Luke Harper. Ambrose would get revenge later on, putting Harper through a second table.
By Graeme McNaughton/The Oshawa Express
After more than a decade, World Wrestling Entertainment made its return to Oshawa. Or, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would’ve said, “Finally! The WWE has returned to Oshawa!”
Well OK, perhaps there would be more enthusiasm and drawn out vowels than that, but I suppose I’m limited by mere words printed on a page.
The same can be said for wrestling, which is definitely a very visual experience. Many others took in the same experience, filling the stands and floor seats of the General Motors Centre to catch some of the stars of wrestling promotion for an afternoon show.
A quick look out into the crowd shows that a good chunk of the crowd was kids and their parents, and even some dads were more enthusiastic than their kids. Oh, and of course, the frequent crowd chants proved that there were certainly many kids in attendance.
Even though it was a house show – if we’re going to use wrestling vernacular – and not a televised event, the Oshawa crowd gave it its all, cheering loudly for the good guys (faces) and booing just as loud for the bad guys (heels).
The loudest cheers of the night were reserved for Dean Ambrose, the good guy not afraid to break the rules type, who headlined the main event against bearded giant Luke Harper in a no disqualification match that saw the use of chairs, a kendo stick and two tables that won’t be standing any longer.
Fake or not, those table slams look like they hurt. Definitely not something I’ll be rushing to do any time soon. Then again, that isn’t part of my job description (at least not yet, although after seeing this, my boss may start getting ideas).
One thing that was noticeable was that of all the matches on the card, all but one match saw a win for the face wrestler or team. By the third match, it made the outcomes very predictable.
However, there were plenty of highlights throughout the show that made for a great watch, even if you knew how things were going to end, from the joint efforts and moves of tag team Tyson Kidd and Cesaro to the acrobatic, gravity-defying moves of Neville to the crowd interaction during a match between cocky bad guy Heath Slater and newcomer and Montreal native Sami Zayn.
Overall, the event was a good time and, minus a few technical glitches and an uncooperative microphone, will be something that Oshawa crowds will be clamoring to see again. Hopefully it won’t be another decade-long wait this time around.